Wrongful discharge?

[Sheila]

I work for a Hospital in Connecticut that is going through some major restructuring. Because of this, we have lost many employee perks as well as personnell. This Christmas is not my Holiday to work, but when asked by the scheduler if I would, I asked him if I was off the night (3P-11:30P shift) and he said yes so I agreed to work on the morning of Christmas from 11A to 3:30P. Low and behold, when the schedule was posted I AM on Christmas Eve 3P-11:30P-because there was noone else to work he says. I have since told him I can't do Christmas Day, because I am on the Eve and I need SOME time with my family. My co-workers seem to think I will be fired when the Manager gets wind of this. I am not really concerned because, like I said they have taken almost all of our perks away including half our vacation time, half our sicktime, and cut our prescription plan-that I use alot-in quarter as well as other things.
The question: Can they legally fire me, or let me go because of this?

 

[Simon]

It is possible that you could disciplined if you do you NOT report in for your scheduled shift. It may include termination. Have you tried switching shifts with another? Have you tried talking to your supervisor about rescheduling your shift? In general, settling this issue yourself is much better than relying on attorneys and the court. I think you should try to find a way to settle this in a mature way. What do you think?

 

[Sheila]

The response I get from my supervisor is "There is no one else to work." I dont really care if they fire me, I just want to be able to collect unemployment if they do. I have no intentions of suing them or taking them to court. Also, Its hard to handle stuff in a mature way when they (the employer) treat you this way. They are saying "We are losing money, therefore, you will work more, have more responsibility, pick up all our slack because we laid everybody else in your department off, but there will be no raises, bonuses, overtime pay, and oh yeah, we're raising the cost of your insurance, decreasing your benefits and, by the way, we really appreciate you. Have a nice day!"

 

[Ex HR Guy]

Unemployment info can be asked of the state unemployment office.